\chapter{Acknowledgments}

\begin{quote}
`` The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...' ''

--- Isaac Asimov
\end{quote}

My first thanks go to my supervisor Alper Aydemir, for carefully following my progress and always giving me some useful suggestions to solve the problems  raised all along this work. I am grateful for all the time he spent in discussions, experiments and practical issues. I also want to warmly thank Giorgio Grisetti for his most valuable advices, Patric Jensfelt and John Folkesson for their help, and my examiner Stefan Carlsson. My deepest thoughts go to my family and friends, especially to my father Hugues for constantly showing interest in my activities, and for his wise support.

This work was achieved at Computer Vision and Active Perception Lab, at the Royal Institute of Technology of Stockholm, a very pleasant ambient to work in, for the quality and the atmosphere of the school by itself, and above all for the persons I encountered, thanks to their availability, involvement, and their ease to share their knowledge. Special thanks to Andr\'{e} Susano Pinto for his friendship, his smart ideas, and the nice moments spent together during his stay. Staff, students, and visitors, this time would not have been the same without Alessandro Pieropan, Ali Mosavian, Andrzej Pronobis, Cheng Zhang, Christian Smith, Gert Kootstra, Johan Ekekrantz, Josephine Sullivan, Magnus Bur\`{e}nius, Miroslav Kobetski, Niklas Bergstr\"{o}m, Oscar Danielsson, Renaud Detry, Lazaros Nalpantidis, Victoria Matute Arribas, and many others.


